This disclosure relates to software installations on computer devices.
An enterprise that has a large number of computers may often have different software installations on the computers. Typically, an information technology (IT) specialist is responsible for installing computer software. Then IT specialist can have one or more compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs) on which system installation files and application installation files are stored as disk image files, and which are used for the software installations.
The software installations may be tailored for particular users, classes of users, particular computers, and/or classes of computers. For example, an enterprise may employ accountants, engineers, managers, salespersons, and staff. Each of the accountants, engineers, managers, salespersons, and staff may require different software installations on their computers. Accountants may have, for example, accounting software and word processing software installed on their respective computers, while engineers may have engineering software and word processing software installed on their respective computers. Additionally, some of the computers may have particular software installed that is independent of a user. For example, a laboratory computer may have an engineering software and laboratory-specific software installed, while a computer in a reception area may only a have a web browser and an e-mail client installed.
Each software installation can require different system files and different application files. Thus an IT specialist may install different software installations for different classes of user or computers. Some users, however, may not require all the software that is typically installed for their user class. For example, a particular accountant might not use an application that is commonly installed on all accountants' computers in an enterprise. Thus many of the software installations on a computer are modified by the computer users, e.g., users may remove software that has been previously installed. Accordingly, in some instances unnecessary applications are installed by an IT professional and then removed by the user, which is not an efficient use of either the IT professional's time or the user's time. Additionally, the user's software configuration may be inadvertently corrupted if the user incorrectly removes other applications or system files.
The IT specialist can, alternatively, allow users to install their own software. For example, an IT specialist may provide a user the installation disks on which the operating system installation files and the application installation files are stored, and allow the user to install software on a computer device. This process, however, is also not an efficient use of a user's time, and may also result in other software installation on the user's computer that are not needed by the user, resulting in unnecessary license fees.